Alice is a soft and sophisticated 4ply blend of Merino d’Arles and linen. The yarn is worsted spun to increase the strength and softness of the fibres and twisted into three strands to create a balanced, rounded yarn that remains supple.

With 216 m / 50 g, it is at the lighter end of 4ply and can be knitted very tightly for durable socks without synthetic material, or more loosely for sweaters and accessories that will benefit from the drape of the linen. The natural springiness of the Arles merino gives the yarn a beautiful elasticity, while the linen adds a subtle shine and a feel that is so pleasant against the skin.

It can be knitted on its own for lightweight projects, but also doubled for durable, soft jumpers, or held with a lace weight mohair yarn to play with textures and colours.

Alice yarn is spun and dyed near Biella in Italy with GOTS-certified dyes.

Fibre: 75% Merino d’Arles from Provence + 25% Linen grown in France and Belgium.
Ball weight: 50g
Meterage: 216m in 50g
Needles: 2.5 – 3.5mm
Gauge: 24 – 28 stitches x 32 – 36 rows in 10 × 10cm

Fibre Content: 100% superfine Geelong lambswool
Skein weight: 50g
Meterage: 205m per 50g
Recommended Needle size: 3.25mm
Gauge: 28 sts per 10cm
Washing: Hand wash only

Please note this yarn is not scoured before winding into skeins which means it needs to be washed after knitting in order to bloom into its beautifully soft final state.

Scroll down to see the colours available and to read more about this yarn.

This yarn is also available in 20g mini-skeins here

You know the joy and sheer satisfaction of turning beautiful wool into favourite garments? Well, you’re going to love vintage 23!  It’s the latest yarn blend from Wool Decanted and, in keeping with their aim to create the softest British yarns, vintage 23 is right up there on the softness scale.  It’s deliciously next to skin soft! 

How did they produce such a soft yarn?

By choosing their fibres carefully.  Starting first with the white of Falklands Polwarth with its long staple length which produces a strong, smooth, and silky yarn and is soft enough to be worn next to the skin, they added some white Romney fibre from Kent, with a long and lustrous staple, and well-defined crimp, adding a bit of depth and strength to the blend. Knowing from experience with previous vintages that adding a small amount of coloured fleece to the white would create a uniquely coloured base, they added just a touch of black Shetland fibre to the white. Rich black Scottish Shetland locks, from the softest part of the Shetland fleece, mixed with the pure white of the Polwarth and Romney created a beautiful, natural, light heathery grey base.

What about the colours?

Dyed as blended tops, the light grey base has allowed for colour of a special richness in their 8-colour palette.  You will be able to create some great colour combinations, and the natural grey works with all of them! They’ve replicated many of their existing colours in this vintage and added the natural grey, Bottle Green, Claret and Island Dusk (a beautiful dusky pink).

How was it spun?

Worsted-spun in West Yorkshire to our specification, vintage 23 has excellent stitch definition, perfect for texture and colour work, and it blooms beautifully when blocked.

Yarn weight: 4ply / fingering (2/9nm)
Skein weight: 50g
Meterage: 225m/246yds approx. per 50g skein
Fibre composition: Polwarth, Romney, Black Shetland
Care: Handwash. Do not tumble dry. Do not iron.